Veteran Canadian kicker Brett Lauther doesn’t want his release from the Saskatchewan Roughriders to mark the end of his CFL career.
The 35-year-old spoke publicly on the topic for the first time in an exclusive interview with The Regina Leader-Post, indicating he has no plans to retire.
“It was tough news at first, for sure. I wanted to take a little time to process everything, not make a quick rash decision or anything right away, and took some time away,” Lauther said. “I kind of evaluated everything, talked about everything, and for right now, I think it just made sense that the fire was still burning a little and to get back out there if possible.”
The native of Truro, N.S., struggled in 2025, connecting on 39-of-54 field goal attempts for a success rate of 72.2 percent — the worst mark of his eight-year tenure in Saskatchewan. He also made a league-worst 91.2 percent of his converts and missed a 39-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter of the Grey Cup against Montreal.
Lauther, who battled a herniated disc and minor back fracture beginning in Week 15, had one year remaining on his contract with the Riders, but was released ahead of a $25,000 offseason bonus on February 1. The move did not come as a surprise, and he expressed gratitude for how the team handled both his challenging campaign and subsequent release.
“Nothing is shocking at all. I just got the call, and it was what it was. The decision was made. And for me, there’s no ill will or hard feelings or any animosity,” Lauther said.
“I feel like a lot of people were making a lot of excuses for me — and you know, I appreciate them trying to do things like that — but at the end of the day, you’re responsible for your kicking, and it wasn’t good enough. And obviously, that’s what led to where I’m at now.”
Lauther has continued to perform regular duties for the Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation since his contract was terminated, which the team helped facilitate through a delayed announcement. He has been a fan favourite during his time in Regina and is a fixture in the community, but soon may leave it behind.
For the first time since 2017, he is open to offers from other CFL franchises.
“Definitely trying to just see what’s out there. A couple teams kicked tires right away to see if this is like a retirement or are you still going to try to play … Kind of at this point just doing what I can do and control, and that’s just kind of getting ready to try to potentially play this year and let my agent kind of handle the rest,” Lauther explained.
“And who knows if you get an opportunity or whatever again. I spent a number of years trying to get another opportunity, thankful for the one with Sask. And you know, now I might have a chance to get another one, but sometimes they don’t come along either.”
Lauther has played 118 regular-season CFL games, almost all of which have come with Saskatchewan despite previous stops in Hamilton, Toronto, and Edmonton. He has converted 81.4 percent of his field goal attempts and 93.3 percent of his convert attempts, scoring 1,139 career points.
The new father thought long and hard about his future, but he doesn’t want to end his career on an off-year.
“I think that I’m a lot better than that, than what I showed and was able to do, and trying to get back out there and have a better season wherever it might be, if I do get an opportunity, would be motivation, for sure.”
